Advice for bad AAMC scored test

[Lola222]

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So I just took the scored exam for the AAMC and received a 508- namely because I got a 125 on C/P. I'm frustrated because I'm taking this exam on June 2, and spent a good 4-5 months studying, and I did pretty decent on the section banks and the unscored, but there were concepts i've never ever come across on the scored. Terms i've never heard in both college and MCAT studying. I've analyzed previous tests for trends and places that I've been messing up, and I've studied accordingly. But this test tested completely different material than what i've been focusing on. I even had an MCAT tutor help design a study schedule for me. None of this has worked. 125 is what I was scoring initially, before I even started studying for the MCAT. I'm bummed because on the unscored I did better, and I've studied so hard. People say go over practice tests and see what you got wrong- I did that. People say practice more- should I really spend another 4-5 months? I've tried 3 different physics books, EK 30 minute passages, EK practice tests etc. My goal is a 510 and I feel so frustrated, since the real exam is going to be much harder.

 

[aalamruad]

So I just took the scored exam for the AAMC and received a 508- namely because I got a 125 on C/P. I'm frustrated because I'm taking this exam on June 2, and spent a good 4-5 months studying, and I did pretty decent on the section banks and the unscored, but there were concepts i've never ever come across on the scored. Terms i've never heard in both college and MCAT studying. I've analyzed previous tests for trends and places that I've been messing up, and I've studied accordingly. But this test tested completely different material than what i've been focusing on. I even had an MCAT tutor help design a study schedule for me. None of this has worked. 125 is what I was scoring initially, before I even started studying for the MCAT. I'm bummed because on the unscored I did better, and I've studied so hard. People say go over practice tests and see what you got wrong- I did that. People say practice more- should I really spend another 4-5 months? I've tried 3 different physics books, EK 30 minute passages, EK practice tests etc. My goal is a 510 and I feel so frustrated, since the real exam is going to be much harder.

Edit: Just realized that the formulas that I used only apply to the AAMC unscored sample test, not the scored FL. my bad

 

[Lola222]

If I'm not mistaken, a 508 is predicted to be around a 514 on the real thing. Also, what score did you get on the unscored AAMC Sample test?

Wait, really? I thought that the scored exam was easier than the real one? And I got around a 509 (508-510 range).

 

[summergirl]

That section is all about practice. See if you can get your hands on TPR's science workbook, that was like magic for me. I'm all for TPR stuff for the C/P section, and I got 131 on C/P on the scored and am a MCAT physics instructor.

Edit - to be honest, had you posted this question 1 week earlier, you might have had time to improve substantially for the C/P section, but seeing you are taking the MCAT in 3 days, I don't think you'll have time, sorry to say this.

 

[Lola222]

That section is all about practice. See if you can get your hands on TPR's science workbook, that was like magic for me. I'm all for TPR stuff for the C/P section, and I got 131 on C/P on the scored and am a MCAT physics instructor.

Edit - to be honest, had you posted this question 1 week earlier, you might have had time to improve substantially for the C/P section, but seeing you are taking the MCAT in 3 days, I don't think you'll have time, sorry to say this.

I actually used the TPR workbook. I feel like I just can't click stuff together when it comes to those subjects. Idk what to do...

 

[aalamruad]

Wait, really? I thought that the scored exam was easier than the real one? And I got around a 509 (508-510 range).

Perhaps the formula I used was supposed to be applied to the unscored AAMC sample test only, and not the scored FL, so I may be wrong. What percents did you get one each of the unscored sample test sections?

 

[Skydive Fox]

Which concepts and topics were foreign to you from the C/P section? There may be a couple oddball questions every now and then, but there might actually be a hole in your study plan if there was a substantial amount of unfamiliar material...

C/P is consistently my weakest section (on Kaplan FL's & AAMC scored). I have been watching Khan Academy videos and did 4-5 Kaplan "section-lengths" just for C/P over the past 10 days and it has tremendously boosted my confidence and overall material conceptualization. You'd be surprised how much you can improve on C/P section after 1-2 weeks of focusing mostly just on it.

 

[Lola222]

Which concepts and topics were foreign to you from the C/P section? There may be a couple oddball questions every now and then, but there might actually be a hole in your study plan if there was a substantial amount of unfamiliar material...

C/P is consistently my weakest section (on Kaplan FL's & AAMC scored). I have been watching Khan Academy videos and did 4-5 Kaplan "section-lengths" just for C/P over the past 10 days and it has tremendously boosted my confidence and overall material conceptualization. You'd be surprised how much you can improve on C/P section after 1-2 weeks of focusing mostly just on it.

Questions such as "How much 15 O has decayed after 10 min" and another question that had to do with relating 3 variables that I had never seen before. I watched every single Khan academy video in my initial studying, as I devoted a month purely to chem and physics. I have dozens of notes I review daily, and practiced many EK 30 minute exams. I'm doing what most people are doing, yet i'm not seeing any result. I'm still at the same place I was 4-5 months ago.

 

[PatchAdams25]

I got a 515 on the scored exam but a 507 on the real thing (a 128 in CARS vs 123 was the big different).. n=1 though

 

[Lola222]

I got a 515 on the scored exam but a 507 on the real thing (a 128 in CARS vs 123 was the big different).. n=1 though

So should I expect to get 5-10 points lower on the actual exam?

 

[PatchAdams25]

So should I expect to get 5-10 points lower on the actual exam?

no I think I was an anomaly haha no idea what happened. Only you know how prepared you are. I felt extremely prepared for mine, and do think that if I took the test again with similar preparation my score would be higher. You need to trust yourself.

 

[Skydive Fox]

Questions such as "How much 15 O has decayed after 10 min" and another question that had to do with relating 3 variables that I had never seen before. I watched every single Khan academy video in my initial studying, as I devoted a month purely to chem and physics. I have dozens of notes I review daily, and practiced many EK 30 minute exams. I'm doing what most people are doing, yet i'm not seeing any result. I'm still at the same place I was 4-5 months ago.

Half-life and nuclear decay problems are pretty standard physics & gen chem material so I don't know what to say there, but as far as relating variables go, that's just something that can be accomplished with a deep understanding of material. For example, I hadn't necessarily memorized the equation P=IR^2 but was able to quickly derive and use it this morning after noticing what variables I was given and what I needed to solve for. On another note, I was given 4 different ways to express a Joule and asked which one didn't belong. I didn't recognize all the correct ways to express Joules, but I did recognize one answer choice that was expressing an entirely different, unrelated variable (resistance). Is that kinda what you meant by relating different variables? You just have to pay attention to and understand what the units of each variable corresponds to, and then it gets much easier.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but if you spent an entire month studying just C/P but still significantly struggle with it, you should reevaluate your study approach. What works for everyone else may not work for you, so you shouldn't always expect similar results after seemingly replicating other peoples' study routine. My study routine is kinda odd and entirely different from all my peers, but it's tailored towards just me and, accordingly, works just for me.

 

[Lola222]

Half-life and nuclear decay problems are pretty standard physics & gen chem material so I don't know what to say there, but as far as relating variables go, that's just something that can be accomplished with a deep understanding of material. For example, I hadn't necessarily memorized the equation P=IR^2 but was able to quickly derive and use it this morning after noticing what variables I was given and what I needed to solve for. On another note, I was given 4 different ways to express a Joule and asked which one didn't belong. I didn't recognize all the correct ways to express Joules, but I did recognize one answer choice that was expressing an entirely different, unrelated variable (resistance). Is that kinda what you meant by relating different variables? You just have to pay attention to and understand what the units of each variable corresponds to, and then it gets much easier.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but if you spent an entire month studying just C/P but still significantly struggle with it, you should reevaluate your study approach. What works for everyone else may not work for you, so you shouldn't always expect similar results after seemingly replicating other peoples' study routine. My study routine is kinda odd and entirely different from all my peers, but it's tailored towards just me and, accordingly, works just for me.

But the question didn't give the half life of Oxygen. It just gave Oxygen and asked how much would be decayed in 10 minutes, and I was lost. I'm trying to figure out what to do, because i've tried many many different approaches to studying. The variables were bizarre, I had never heard of Pd and Pm or something along those lines. Maybe it's just a bad day? Idk haha

 

[summergirl]

But the question didn't give the half life of Oxygen. It just gave Oxygen and asked how much would be decayed in 10 minutes, and I was lost. I'm trying to figure out what to do, because i've tried many many different approaches to studying. The variables were bizarre, I had never heard of Pd and Pm or something along those lines. Maybe it's just a bad day? Idk haha

The question gave you a graph which tells you the half-life of oxygen. And I think you meant Kd and Km??

 

[Mansamusa]

Edit: if there are variables that you don't recognize, there are probably gaps in your knowledge :/ I don't know what you can do on such short notice

 

[Skydive Fox]

But the question didn't give the half life of Oxygen. It just gave Oxygen and asked how much would be decayed in 10 minutes, and I was lost. I'm trying to figure out what to do, because i've tried many many different approaches to studying. The variables were bizarre, I had never heard of Pd and Pm or something along those lines. Maybe it's just a bad day? Idk haha

Oohhh, so was it a discrete question with no passage? I've had questions like that where the half-life was hidden in some minutae of the passage or can be figured out from some figure, but I'm 99.99% sure we aren't expected to know any exact half-lives. If I've ever come across an oddball like that, usually the answer choices reveal 3 completely illogical and one reasonable answer choice.

An FL once asked me a half-life question by discussing the half-life of a molecule in the passage and then asking how much of it would decay in blablabla. The trick was that the the passage was discussing a radioactive isotope, but the isotope in the question-stem was a stable isotope and not radioactive, so the answer was just zero.

Also ditto what the other user said. Do you mean different k constants (Kd, Km, Kcat), or maybe just P's denoting partial pressures of different atoms (Po2, Pco2, Pn2)? I dunno off the top of my head without knowing the question or topic.

 

[Lola222]

The question gave you a graph which tells you the half-life of oxygen. And I think you meant Kd and Km??

It was a discrete. I had no other knowledge. And no, it was literally Pd and Pm- i'm telling you that i've never heard of these haha

 

[Skydive Fox]

@summergirl @Lola222 I went through my AAMC practice and found the question. It's talking about three pressure variables. You just do simple algebraic substitution and find the relationship. It's a passage-based question. I'd be more specific about the question but I don't wanna break the confidentiality agreement.

Edit: the O-15 question is also passage-based (the same passage) and a figure within the passage has the info you need. I'm looking right at it.

 

[Lola222]

Edit: if there are variables that you don't recognize, there are probably gaps in your knowledge :/ I don't know what you can do on such short notice

I mean, if the last 5 months didn't help, I don't know what more time would even do.

 

[Lola222]

@summergirl @Lola222 I went through my AAMC practice and found the question. It's talking about three pressure variables. You just do simple algebraic substitution and find the relationship. It's a passage-based question. I'd be more specific about the question but I don't wanna break the confidentiality agreement.

I guess I just panicked? I did better on the unscored as that seemed easier to me.

 

[Lola222]

Would delaying the test help, since I don't know how to improve and I've tried so many different options (tutor, Khan, TPR, Kaplan, EK)?

 

[Skydive Fox]

Both the questions you mentioned were from the same passage and not discrete (I have my laptop opened up to them as I write this). My guess is that your computer may have glitched and not loaded just that passage? Go back and check. If that's the case and you still got a 125, you'd be golden.

 

[Lola222]

Both the questions you mentioned were from the same passage and not discrete (I have my laptop opened up to them as I write this). My guess is that your computer may have glitched and not loaded just that passage? Go back and check. If that's the case and you still got a 125, you'd be golden.

Holy ****!!!!!!! The passage didn't load!!!
I just went back now
I missed all those questions since I had no idea what was going on

 

[Mansamusa]

I guess I just panicked? I did better on the unscored as that seemed easier to me.

My post pre-edit was about how always do poorly on practice exams (1700-1800s on SAT--> 2200+ on real, 27-32 on MCAT-->35 on real), so it may be same with you.

Good luck!

 

[summergirl]

Holy ****!!!!!!! The passage didn't load!!!
I just went back now
I missed all those questions since I had no idea what was going on

LOL!

 

[Lola222]

LOL!

I was feeling so dumb- I missed 4 questions right there. And another passage didn't load as well. Oh wow- so like 8-9 questions right there.
I normally use my Mac laptop, and I used a desktop this time to simulate the actual test. Wow i'm shaking i'm so relieved.

 

[Skydive Fox]

Holy ****!!!!!!! The passage didn't load!!!
I just went back now
I missed all those questions since I had no idea what was going on

That happened on one of my Kaplan FL's once which is why I suspected it was the culprit here too... You'd be floating around a 127-128 if you got most of them right. You should be well-prepped for Thursday!

Best of luck!

 

[Lola222]

That happened on one of my Kaplan FL's once which is why I suspected it was the culprit here too... You'd be floating around a 127-128 if you got most of them right. You should be well-prepped for Thursday!

Best of luck!

Thank you so much for bringing that up! I was thinking about rescheduling!!! I'm feeling so much better haha

 

[ATPsynthase123]

Wait, really? I thought that the scored exam was easier than the real one? And I got around a 509 (508-510 range).

No. The AAMC are almost a direct representation of how you will do on test day. Kaplan and other test prep corps. will deflate scores by ~10 points

 

[Lola222]

No. The AAMC are almost a direct representation of how you will do on test day. Kaplan and other test prep corps. will deflate scores by ~10 points

Thanks! I still can't believe my computer omitted 2 passages
Is it possible to get a 510, if I got a 508 on this test? I've heard some people do increase by up to two points.

 

[FCMike11]

Thanks! I still can't believe my computer omitted 2 passages
Is it possible to get a 510, if I got a 508 on this test? I've heard some people do increase by up to two points.

506 on my AAMC scored - 508 on the real thing. So, yes. So many other test day considerations....some people just genuinely get unlucky and get hit on their weak subjects.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using SDN mobile

 

[BoondockSaint21]

That section is all about practice. See if you can get your hands on TPR's science workbook, that was like magic for me. I'm all for TPR stuff for the C/P section, and I got 131 on C/P on the scored and am a MCAT physics instructor.

Edit - to be honest, had you posted this question 1 week earlier, you might have had time to improve substantially for the C/P section, but seeing you are taking the MCAT in 3 days, I don't think you'll have time, sorry to say this.

Hi, I sent you a message regarding your 1 week advice! 🙂

 

[ilovemedi]

I heard the Kaplan/TPR FL's are only good for content, other FL's are more like aamc's

 

[Pediateix]

my percentages for unscored AAMC is 64%, 55%, 71%, 71%(still have to go over terms) .
this is my nth time taking this test and I test Sept 9. any advice. I've been at it since june
i know verbal needs improving. i ran out of time in the last two passages and didn't even read the last two passages.
all i want is a 504 (want to study for a 510) and ill be happy. considering my last scores

im also a terrible test taker, I've taken 4 next step tests, and i plan to do 1-4 EK tests

 

[mellie0]

my percentages for unscored AAMC is 64%, 55%, 71%, 71%(still have to go over terms) .
this is my nth time taking this test and I test Sept 9. any advice. I've been at it since june
i know verbal needs improving. i ran out of time in the last two passages and didn't even read the last two passages.
all i want is a 504 (want to study for a 510) and ill be happy. considering my last scores

im also a terrible test taker, I've taken 4 next step tests, and i plan to do 1-4 EK tests

Hey!! Is there something you're trying to ask?